Expanding DA Selection and Deterring DA Saturation

DA saturation can and probably will occur your clinic at some point after implementation. Saturation occurs when all eligible patients have received a DA. This can result from:

Actually getting all DAs to all eligible patients;

Having a smaller patient population eligible for a certain DA than you anticipated; or

DA fatigue – when staff/clinicians are tired of their DA selection and are ready for a change.

This is likely with DAs on chronic conditions like diabetes or conditions that impact a certain age/gender group like menopause. To deter saturation in your patient population, it is useful to answer these questions:

Have we received positive patient feedback on certain DAs?

Are there any new DAs that the staff and/or clinicians are excited about?

Have patients requested DAs that our clinic doesn’t currently distribute?

To identify saturation/fatigue and reduce turn-around time for new DAs, keep these suggestions in mind:

Determine a “DA Saturation Point.” When is the cut-off for overexposure of DAs? When no DAs are distributed for 2 weeks? Two months? Determine a reasonable timeframe that is appropriate for your clinic population.

Have a DA expansion plan. Be prepared to introduce new DAs into your clinic once the implementation process has been established and refined. DA implementation is an iterative process, and having the steps in place to introduce new DAs will help maintain the flow of distribution.